Construction of bridges



UNITED STATES PATENT OEEIOE. i

FRANCIS GOOD, OE NEw'LoNDON TOWNSHIP, PENNSYLVANIA.

CONSTRUCTION OF BRIDGES.

Specification of Letters Patent '1\To. 450, dated November 4:, 1837.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, FRANCIS GOOD, of New London township, in the county of Chester and State of Pennsylvania, have invented a new and useful Improvement in the Construction of Bridges, which is described as follows, reference being had to the annexed drawings of the same, making part of this specification. y

Having turned the water olf from the place where it is intended to construct the bridge, I prepare the bottom to receive two parallel sills A, A, one placed on one Side` of the stream and the other o-n the other side. Upon these sills I'raise, to a suitable height, the walls B, B, which are to sustain the super structure'and for preserving the banks, built of stone, about two feet thick and sloped at the ends against the stream to an angle of abouti or degs. Upon these walls I place parallel plates C C, on which I place the ends of transverse beams D D D D D', over which I arrange, near the ends, parallel plates of iron E E, with bolts passing through said plates and through the ends of the transverse beams into the parallel timbers C C. Over the transverse beams, (which are cambered) I place the flooring F composed of thick plank spiked down at the ends upon the two outside beams. At each corner of the bridge is a strong bolt G (with a Hat head) passing through the sill, stone wall, wall plate, end of the outside beam,

metallic plate, the floor, metallic rim placed on top of the floor, and there Secured by a key or wedge I-I passing through a Inortise in its upper end-the lower or flat end being under the sill. Over the sloped part of each of the walls is laid an iron plate'I eX- tending from the sill to the top of the outside beam whereit is secured by oneof the corner bolts passing also through it, and at its lower end by a short bolt J passing through the sill and through the iron plate, secured by a key K on the top of the sill. The ends of the flooring planks, against stream, are covered with a sheathing board L to protect them and form a nish. Likewise the ends ofthe transverse beams are covered with sheathing boards M -M. Y Y

The bridge is constructed. so that its top shall be about two feet above low water niark. Side rails of the ordinary construction are provided of iron or wood.

The invention claimed by me, the said FRANCIS GOOD, and which I desire to secure by Letters Patent consists iii- K The method of uniting and binding the wood and masonry of the bridge together by means or the vertical iron bolts and passing through kthe sills, stone walls, wall plates,

beams, iron plates, and ilooring and'keyed on top, in the manner before described, by whichthe bridge is rendered very strong and not liable to be washed away by the sudden rising of the water. Also the addition of the iron plates E over the beams and those over the sloped ends of the walls, marked I.

FRANCIS GOOD.

Witnesses: t

WM. P. ELLIOT, WM. BISHOP. 

